m390

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (Arthur C. Clarke, 1962)

Every time I use my Microtech Dirac, I feel like I’m doing a magic trick. The Dirac is an out-the-front (OTF) switchblade, and its 2 7/8” (74 mm) blade snaps out and back in so fast that my eye can’t perceive the movement of the blade springing out of the handle- there’s no blur of motion, the blade just appears where there was previously nothing. I’ve been carrying the Dirac on and off for several months and I never get tired of watching it. I’ve also come to some conclusions about it as an EDC knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Dirac is a light, compact, stabby little knife. The blade is just over an inch shorter than the handle, which is 4” (102 mm) long, not counting its 9/32” (7 mm) glassbreaker. May I just add that the Imperial measurement system is antiquated and absurd, and I refuse to use it any more. The rest of the review will be using Cubits, notated as “cu”, with handy conversions into Biblical Cubits (Bcu) and Ancient Egyptian Royal Cubits (AERcu). The Dirac’s blade is a pretty handy EDC length of 0.162 cu (0.128 Bcu / 0.141 AERcu) and is quite thin at 0.0054 cu (0.0043 Bcu / 0.0047 AERcu) and the knife weighs a scant 0.00193 bushels. It’s obviously a thin, light knife that you barely notice in your tunic.

My Dirac has a double edge dagger-shaped blade made of Bohler M390 steel. M390 is a “super steel” made using a process called powder metallurgy. After reading a couple of very well-written articles on KnifeSteelNerds.com (thank you!) I think I can explain why M390 is so desirable for knife blades: small carbides. Powder metallurgy steel is made by heating iron, chromium, vanadium, etc. to a liquid form and thoroughly mixing it together. How finely ground the individual ingredients are affects how thoroughly it can be mixed together, and the goal is to eliminate big chunks. Have you ever not stirred pancake batter enough and gotten a lump of grainy batter in your pancake? Powder metallurgy pancakes would never have lumps like that. M390’s tight, homogenous grain structure makes it extremely hard (for sharpened edge retention) and pretty tough (resistant to chipping). Its tiny grain structure also enables it to be sharpened to a very fine edge. To sum it up, M390 is just about as good as it gets for blade steel in 2021.

The Dirac’s blade has a black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating, which I scratched cutting a cardboard box in the first week I had the knife. I have a few other non-Microtech knives with DLC coatings, and I never managed to scratch any of them. Maybe my DLC coated knives by Reate, WE, and Bestech and would have gotten scratched under the same circumstances, but I doubt it. Microtech’s DLC coatings are known to The Internet to get scratches and edge wear easily, and I can personally verify that. My Microtech Ultratech (aka my favorite knife in the world) looked just as worn-in after a few months of EDC as my Dirac does now.

The aluminum handles on both knives are scratched, the steel pocket clips have shiny edges, and the sliders (Microtech, like White Castle, calls ‘em sliders), have shiny raw metal showing where my thumb has rubbed the DLC off. I certainly don’t mind- I’m not a knife collector, I’m an enthusiast (aka knife nerd) and I think Jeeps and Microtech knives both look better with some dents and scratches. Microtech clearly agree with me that their knives still look good after some use, so they’ve done limited runs of most of their knives with a “distressed” finish. Microtech really took the distressed concept to the next level with their “Bounty Hunter” series, which are designed to look like knives that Boba Fett (a bounty hunter from the Star Wars films) would use.

I’m sure these Bounty Hunter models were popular when they were initially released in 2016, but since the premiere of the Star Wars Universe TV series “The Mandalorian” in 2019, these little suckers have become nearly impossible to come by. This one was snagged through a combination of Instagram stalking and checking several Microtech reseller websites ten times a day. The knife pictured is a UTX-85 Bounty Hunter, and it’s about the size of the Dirac, which I consider to be a good, small-ish EDC knife size. There’s also a much larger version of the Dirac, named the Dirac Delta. The Delta’s overall length of 9.4” (235 mm) makes it nearly as big as the Microtech Cypher seen dwarfing the regular Dirac in the picture below.

I personally find huge knives like the Microtech Cypher, Dirac Delta, and Combat Troodon to be unnecessarily large for anyone who doesn’t have giant sausage fingers, but what does necessary have to do with expensive switchblades? That’s my Cypher in the picture below, and I love that thing despite the fact that it makes me look like I have baby hands.

I’m always interested in the origins of names, and Microtech specializes in badass aggressive ones: The HALO, named after the US special forces High Altitude Low Opening skydiving technique, the now-discontinued Nemesis, named after the Greek mythological spirit of divine retribution, and the Troodon, named after an 11 foot tall bird-like dinosaur. I therefore naturally assumed that the Dirac and its larger variant, the Dirac Delta, were named after a bareknuckle boxer or something. I emailed Microtech customer service and was told this: “As far as the name DIRAC goes, it is actually a mathematical term. Dirac Delta is the “function”… represents an impulse.” It’s named after a math equation. WTF? I then actually did some research, and the aforementioned theory is by Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac (1902-1984) who predicted the existence of antimatter. Antimatter is definitely badass, so Dirac is still a cool Microtech name, but it’s a thinker…

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The ergonomics are what initially attracted me to the Dirac. Before I bought my Dirac I had the opportunity to handle a Benchmade Infidel at SHOT Show 2020 and in the context of fiddling with it at Benchmade’s booth, I knew I intuitively liked the ergonomics of its top-mounted slider, but couldn’t quite explain why. When I got my Dirac and started EDC-ing it, I discovered the huge advantage of a top-mounted slider vs. a standard OTF spine-mounted slider:

When pulling the Dirac out of my pocket, I pinch the knife between my thumb, which slides into my pocket, and the middle joint of my index finger, which is below the tip of the pocket clip. It’s a pretty deep grip- my thumb is on the top slider, and my index finger is just as far forward on the back side. This deep drawstroke allows me to open the blade and use the knife without adjusting my grip. I can’t think of any other style of folding knife that allows for instant use right out of the pocket. Spine-mounted sliders require a grip adjustment to get your thumb on the switch, and any non-OTF knife (even ones with the Emerson Wave opening feature) require your fingers to get out of the way when the blade swings out.

As I was figuring out the mechanics of this draw, it felt a little un-natural using a knife with my thumb on the flat side of the knife instead of the spine. I realized the awkwardness was because I had extensively used single edged knives- I hold single edge knives with my thumb on the spine in a “forehand” style when cutting left to right, or I flip my hand over into a “backhand” style when cutting right to left. With a double edged knife, there’s no need to flip my wrist over to change cutting direction- there’s blade on either side, and my thumb can just sit in the middle and drive the knife left or right with equal ease.

I used this grip style to destroy a large stack of cardboard boxes, and the only problem I had was that the “shoulder” of the pocket clip (see circle on pic below) created an uncomfortable hot spot on my hand fat.

The most comfortable grip of all was with the slider facing my palm, which further reinforces the utility of double-edged knives: it doubles the practical grip options.

The Dirac is Microtech’s first new OTF design in several years, and although it’s clearly in the Microtech in-house design style, there are some subtle improvements to the handle and slider that I noticed in my obsessive examination of the knife.

The top and bottom of the handle are convex instead of flat, which adds to the Dirac’s pleasant feel in the hand. It’s hard to see in the picture, but it’s easy to feel.

The Dirac’s jimping pattern is less sharp. On every other OTF except the Combat Troodon, the jimping pattern is two or three little narrow close-together scoops, then a little plateau, then more close-together scoops. The Dirac’s jimping pattern more spaced out. It’s a little less grippy than other Microtechs, but more comfortable when I have a tight grasp on the handle.

The slider now has angled sides instead of the classic flat sides like the Ultratech and Cypher in the picture, providing more contact surface area with fewer sharp edges, which makes it noticeably more comfortable to use.

The Dirac’s pocket clip is similar to Microtech’s normal bent steel double-dip clip, but there are small improvements here as well.

The simple genius of the double-dip clip is a higher section at the base of the clip near the glassbreaker that’s designed to loosely sit over the thick, folded seam at the top of a pants pocket, but still have good retention due to the lower, tighter section below it. Compared to the Ultratech clip (left) the Dirac can ride lower in the pocket because it doesn’t have a useless little tight section between the glassbreaker and the high section of the double dip. The clip works very well on the Dirac, which is rather light at 2.27 oz (64.4 g). My copper Ultratech, which weighs more than twice as much at 4.95 oz (140.5 g) has a similar clip, but due to it’s heavy copper top, I feel like the clip barely keeps it in place when I’m horizontal or upside-down. My Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza (another somewhat heavy knife) came with a similar double-dip style clip, and I had the same retention problem with it. I was so afraid of losing my fancy Large Sebenza that I went to the Chris Reeve Knives website and ordered a Hawk Pocket Clip (pictured below), which requires the user to pinch the little lever with the hole in it to open the tip of the clip, resulting in a very secure grip.

In case any of my hard-core knife nerd brothers are wondering, my Sebenza is technically a Chris Reeve/Wilson Combat collaboration knife called the “Star-Benza 21” with the optional Insingo blade shape. The only way this differs from a regular CRK Sebenza (besides costing $50 more) is the groovy Wilson Combat machined starburst pattern on the scales and the Wilson Combat logo on the clip, which I swapped out for the Hawk clip.

One other difference between the Dirac and most other Microtech knives is the clip doesn’t have the little lanyard hole that virtually no one uses.

I did a Google image search for “Microtech OTF” and found 19 million pictures of Microtech OTF knives, but not a single one with a lanyard attached. I then did a search for “Microtech OTF lanyard” and of the 19 billion pictures, I found 6 knives with lanyards. That’s 6 out of 19 trillion. My scientific research indicates it was a smart move by Microtech to remove a feature that was used by only 6 out of 19 gazillion people.

Deployment and Lockup

The deployment is the reason I bought this knife- it’s magically delicious. The lockup, which has wiggly blade play in two directions, is the price you pay for the awesome deployment. If this were a manual folding knife, I wouldn’t accept this much blade play in a $10 gas station folder, much less one that cost $270 like my Dirac. Unless you drop $2,500 for a G&G Hawk Deadlock OTF (made by the designers of the CRK Hawk clip on my Sebenza, by the way) your OTF is going to have lots of blade wiggle. Therefore, the only fair lockup comparison I can make is is against other OTF knives, and I don’t have any non-Microtechs to compare to the Dirac.

The other three Microtechs I have on hand also all have blade wiggle in one vertical direction (up) and one horizontal direction (right). My memories of handling a few Benchmade Infidel and Autocrat OTFs 11 months ago aren’t super sharp, other than noting that they had blade wiggle too and that the Benchmade switches were significantly easier to actuate than any Microtech I’ve handled. I personally prefer the heavier Microtech trigger weight because I don’t want any auto knife unintentionally opening in my pocket.

The Dirac, like all other Microtech OTF knives other than the HALO, are designed to basically fall off their coiled spring train tracks if the knife encounters resistance during deployment. Launching the blade into something as soft as a piece of thick paper is enough to stop the blade from fully extending, and the blade has to be manually pulled out to get back to its normal functioning state. The HALO has no such safety feature, and is meant to be carried in a sheath. It deliberately doesn’t have a pocket clip to try to discourage people like my friend Shaun from pocket carrying it. Shaun’s HALO opened in his pocket and luckily it just ripped a hole in his pants instead of in his femoral artery.

I don’t have a way to measure the pounds-per-inch of force to move the slider on my Dirac, but it’s heavy enough to require deliberate effort to deploy or retract, and it’s not so stiff that I can’t easily manipulate it. My Cypher’s spring is so strong (perhaps because it’s a significantly longer and thicker blade) that I can barely close it with one hand, and it leaves a dent in my thumb. Microtech seems to have a lot of variation in their slider tension and whether the slider rattles.

My Dirac’s slider doesn’t make a sound, my Ultratech’s slider rattles when the blade is out but not when it’s in, and the UTX-85’s slider rattles all the time. I know that the coiled spring that powers the action is at rest in both the open and closed positions, but why the slider would be loose on some individual knives is beyond my understanding. I do know that it doesn’t seem to affect mechanical performance.

Regarding mechanical performance, The Dirac is my least expensive, still-in-production (AKA replaceable) OTF knife, so I really worked this knife hard, using it for tasks I wouldn’t ordinarily touch with any of my other OTF knives. While cutting cardboard and plastic, I put so much pressure on the blade edges that several times I thought the blade might snap out of the handle. It held up perfectly and the deployment is unchanged after months of use.

Microtech Dirac Review – Final Thoughts

I’ve had a few side-opening switchblades over the years (in fact I just got the Kershaw Launch 13 side-opening switchblade for an upcoming review) and I used to think their level of convenience and ease of use was unmatched. But after carrying and really using the Dirac, I found the form factor of this small OTF knife to be ideal in almost every way. I absolutely love the one-handed ease of use of an OTF knife- the instant it clears the top of my pocket it’s ready for use, and it’s just as easy to put away. The Dirac’s size and shape are well-suited to most tasks I encounter in my life, the M390 blade steel keeps a sharp edge for a very long time, and I consider the handle length of four inches (0.22 Biblical Cubits) to be the minimum usable length for my medium-large hands. By the way, the Microtech UTX-85, which is comparable in size to the Dirac, is generally thought of as an 85% size version of the Ultratech (thus the 85 in its name) but that 85% number only refers to blade length, since the UTX-85 is dimensionally nearly identical to the Ultratech in everything except length. The Microtech UTX-70, however, is actually smaller in all dimensions than an Ultratech. Fun fact? It’s fun for me at least.

I’ve only found three real downsides to carrying the Dirac:

There’s no quiet way to open the knife, other than fake coughing to cover the sound of the addictive in-out-in-out-in-out (until your significant other tells you to stop it with the fuckin’ clicking!)
If the blade has food or tape residue on it, I try to not retract the blade until I clean it because there are parts inside the handle that don’t like sticky goo.
OTF knives seem to be extra scary to non-knife people, at least in my beloved Los Angeles. The other day I was picking up a big bag of vegan fast food at Veggie Grill, where they tape up the takeout bags (to keep the COVID out I guess) and out came the Dirac to cut the tape and check my order. I am not a person who derives pleasure from other peoples pain, but I must say that the looks of shock I saw on the faces of the two employees behind the counter was… satisfying. Sorry not sorry.

Oh yeah, and switchblades are illegal in a bunch of places, so that’s another thing to keep in mind. What I primarily keep in mind however, is that I never, ever, ever, get tired of doing the Dirac’s magic trick.

Thank you to Sara O’Neil for the use of her painting.

Microtech Dirac – From $280.00
From: BladeHQ

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Microtech Exocet at BladeHQ. Thank you for reading.

Bestech Marukka Review

by John Burridge Leave a Comment

Kombou is on fire lately! In the last few years, Bestech Knives has released 8 knives that he’s designed, including the Marukka reviewed here. I bought the Marukka the day it was released, and as I write this review 60 days later, two more Bestech/Kombou knives are starting to hit stores: the Wibra and the Irida.

Buy the Bestech Marukka at BladeHQ
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Kombou is the nom de couteau of Grzegorz Grabarski of Siedlce, Poland. I’m the kind of guy that notices and appreciates the evolution of an artist’s work, and I’ve been keeping an eye on Kombou for a couple of years now. I reviewed his Bestech Knives Fanga knife (see pic below) here on Blade Reviews in August 2019, and I found it be be a great knife and a good value for the money.

I’ve been stalking the Marukka on Instagram since I first saw it teased by Kombou in June of 2019. When it was finally released in April 2020, it easily passed all my stringent knife buying requirements:

Is it made of quality materials? Yes, titanium and M390 steel.
Is it reasonably priced for what it is? Yes, $272.
Is it like a big bio-mechanical stabbing machine? Yes!

I’ve been carrying the Bestech Marukka for the last 60 days. Here’s what I’ve discovered:

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The handle is 5” (127 mm), and when opened, the blade adds another 3.75” (95 mm) for an impressive overall length of 8.75” (203 mm). It’s tough to tell from the pictures, but this is a pretty big knife.

The blade steel is Bohler M390, which is an excellent powder metallurgy “super steel” with above average toughness (basically the ability to bend instead of breaking) and extremely high hardness (basically the ability to hold an edge.) M390’s bias of hardness over toughness is great for people like me who don’t sharpen their knives regularly. M390 steel or its contemporaries (like Crucible 20CV, Carpenter 204P, or Uddeholm Elmax) are generally expected in a premium production knife like the Marukka, and I’ve yet to be disappointed with the edge-holding performance any of those steels.

The blade has a substantial spine, starting out at 3.85 mm thick, but tapering to a quite thin .45 mm near the blade’s tip. The design of the Marukka’s blade appears to be simple, but there are a lot of subtle details I really like. It’s a Persian style blade, and the spine has a slight downward recurve before rising to the tip.

There’s a decorative fuller that looks straight but actually shares the slight recurve of the spine. The ricasso (the unsharpened portion of the blade between the handle and the primary sharpening bevel) is stonewashed, but the rest of the blade has a shinier satin finish, which is a cool touch in my opinion. It’s also quite difficult to show in a photograph, since it’s mainly just a difference in reflectivity.

The titanium pocket clip, pivot collar, and backspacer are anodized a brass-y/champagne-y color, and they were also hard for me to due justice to in pictures because the color is pretty subtle. There are currently two other color variants of the Marukka available, both with black stonewashed blades, but they don’t have the dual-finish blade treatment.

I’m kookoo for stabby-looking knives, but I’m also well aware of their limited usefulness in my life. My favorite knife of all time is my Microtech Ultratech signature version with a copper handle.

I don’t know what specific use the Ultratech was originally designed for, but I’m guessing it was murder. Mine even happens to be serial number 187, which is police code for… murder! I mainly use mine to murder boxes and loose threads on my clothes. The Ultatech’s blade is so thin and pointy that I can’t use it to scrape or pry anything for fear of snapping off the tip. I’m sure If I ever tried to clean under my fingernails with it, I’d be typing this with only nine fingers. Furthermore, its copper handle is so heavy that grabbing the tip of the blade between thumb and fingers to do detail work is like trying to tap in a nail with the handle of a hammer- the heavy head is at the far end, throwing off your balance. So I obviously don’t care about logic (or California switchblade knife laws), and love my impractical, stabby Ultratech.

The Marukka is far more practical and well-balanced. Its thin blade slices fruit and vegetables really well for a folding knife, and the combination of the blade’s low belly and the handle’s high arch let me dice onions without rapping my knuckles on the cutting board with every chop. It’s no kitchen knife, but it’ll do nicely in a pinch. Speaking of alternate knife uses, I always open my mail with the unsharpened spine of whatever knife is in my pocket- unless it’s the Marukka. The tip of this thing is so thin and sharp that I just know I’m going to end up slicing open my hand along with my electric bill. For me it’s usually “Oh shit, did I cut myself? There’s no blood- oh there it comes, so much blood!!!”

Placing my irrational fear aside for a moment, I think if I were to use this knife as hard as I’ve used my DPX Gear HEST/F or my Chris Reeve Knives Sebenza, then I would be a little worried about snapping off the Marukka’s tip.

The HEST/F knife (above, left) has a tip that’s protected against snapping off due to its absurdly thick blade stock, and the Sebenza’s tip is thin but is protected by geometry. My Sebenza (above, right) has the Insingo blade option, which is a sheepsfoot style blade. One of the reasons I like sheepsfoot blades is that their spines abruptly plummet down to the tip, resulting in a little more thick steel near the tip compared to the Marukka’s Persian style blade.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

To test my weak tip assumption, I attacked a huge stack of industrial-sized extra thick cardboard boxes held together with large copper staples. After ten minutes of hacking them into recycling bin size (and running the blade right over the staples) I can say that the handle is comfortable and I didn’t worry once about breaking the Marukka’s tip. The balance point of this surprisingly light knife (4.02 oz / 114.4 g) is just behind the index finger groove in the handle, and it was easy to manipulate with and without gloves. The milled pocket clip added to my grip retention.

I’ve found that pocket clips often create hot spots and interfere with either a standard or overhanded grip. In fact, the DPX HEST/F (the green handled knife from a couple of pictures ago) has perhaps my least ergonomically-friendly clip of anything I own. But the Marukka’s clip is rounded and contoured, and pushed my ring and pinky fingers into an ideal grip when flipping it open. It’s obvious to me that Kombou didn’t just put the clip on as an afterthought, but thoroughly integrated it into the design.

In my months of everyday carry, the Marukka never accidentally slipped out of my pocket, but it would ride up to the tip of the clip if I’d been lying down with it clipped to my pocket. That also happens with almost every other single knife I own except my precious Microtech Ultratech, which has a “double dip” clip that keeps it snug in the bottom of my pocket.

The handle of the Marukka has 4” (102 mm) of usable gripping space, which allows me a full four finger grip with room to spare. Visually, it’s a mixture of organic curves and machine-like lines and angles. It’s like a dagger made from the Terminator’s wrist bone. The word that leaps out at me is bio-mechanical, probably because I just finished reading all five books in the “Murderbot Diaries” series of science fiction novels by Martha Wells. The main character (who calls itself Murderbot) is a human/robot hybrid, and I imagine Murderbot would appreciate the Marukka’s design aesthetic, even though it wouldn’t admit that to a human. The books are super fun, have great action interspersed with dry humor, and have won just about every sci-fi award available, including the Hugo, Nebula, Alex, and Locus Awards. Sorry- I know this is a knife review, not a book review, so back to the knife.

There are several mechanical-style details on the Marukka’s handle. The pivot screw, for example, has the look of a spinning turbine, and the machined line that travels from the pivot screw to the end of the handle looks to me like either a gear or a circuit board. The cut on the lock side that forms the framelock follows that crenelated line to some extent. That’s pretty unique, since the framelock cut is more or less a straight line on about 90% of framelock knives ever since Chris Reeve invented the framelock in the late 1980’s.

The “bio” part of the bio-mechanical theme is most evident in the shape and angles of the handle, particularly on the top of the spine.

There’s a little flat-ish area where the handle meets the blade, which is obviously designed as a comfortable thumb shelf when holding the knife in a regular grip. Behind that is another swoopy indentation, which, along with the thin milled stripes behind it, is purely decorative as far as I can tell. In matters of design, I’m a huge fan of unexpected lines and angles, and Kombou could have just kept the spine going in one long curving line like he did in the Bestech Fanga (2nd picture from the top of the article) but instead he gave us an organic, multi-angled flourish. It’s clear to me that his design style is evolving, and I enjoy noticing the steps he takes along the way.

Deployment and Lockup

The Marukka is a flipper-opening framelock, and the action is light and snappy. The blade pivots on ceramic ball bearings, and the titanium framelock has a steel insert where it meets the blade.

This theoretically replaceable insert prevents titanium on steel friction, which can sometimes result in the knife getting stuck open. This used to happen with my previously mentioned DPX Gear HEST/F, which did not have a steel lockbar insert. I realize that I’ve used it as a bad example twice now, but the HEST/F was quite technologically advanced in 2012 when I bought it- which goes to show how rapidly the knife world has advanced in the last decade.

The detent of a flipper knife controls how much force must be applied to the flipper tab to snap the blade out of its closed position. A weak detent may result in the blade not fully opening, and a detent that’s too strong just kinda sucks. The Marukka’s detent is perfect, as is the detent on the two other Bestech Knives I own. The lockup is solid and there’s no blade play either opened or closed. Actually, I can’t even think of a single modern framelock knife I’ve handled that has any blade play… well, except for my HEST/F (oh no- not again! Sorry DPX Gear!) but its blade wiggle is the direct result of it being my favorite beater knife for almost a decade.

Bestech Marukka Review – Final Thoughts

I pay a lot of attention to details, and I had to dig deep into the details to find anything negative to say about the Marukka. This is all I could come up with: the steel lockbar insert is pretty sharp, and can scratch my thumb if I hold it too far forward when closing the blade. That’s it- I have no other complaints. It’s not cheap, but neither is the the unique and precise machining that went into this big, futuristic-looking, bio-mechanical stabbing machine. Like Martha Wells’ Murderbot, the Marukka is fascinating and dangerous, but smooth around the edges. I recommend it.

Thank you to Sara O’Neil for the use of her painting.

Bestech Marukka – From $272.00
From: BladeHQ

Marukka Framelock Gray BTKT2002A

Editor: I recommend purchasing the Bestech Marukka at BladeHQ and Amazon. Thank you very much.

Microtech Exocet Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

In these uncertain times, it feels like an indulgence to sit down and write a knife review. I ask, should I even be doing this? To go about reviewing expensive pocket trinkets while the world unravels like a ball of yarn? The website has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I’ve yet to actually feel guilty working on it.

The only comfort I can offer is that after every setback I have suffered, I’ve found the best medicine is to get up and get back to work. Well maybe in this case we should stay at home and get back to work, but regardless, keeping a routine and moving forward is the only option I know. The current situation a disaster in every sense of the word, but things will eventually get better. In the meantime, I hope you and your family are holding up OK.

And that is where the Microtech Exocet comes in. Today’s guilty pleasure. This knife is the epitome of a pocket bauble. Something I had no immediate need for, but I had to have the moment I saw it. God forbid my spare hundos gather some dust, or lack an expensive pocket knife to be clipped to. Not sure which is worse.

Regular readers know I’ve been on a Microtech bender lately. You could consider these the mid life crisis pieces of my knife collection. Hey, they are cheaper than a Corvette. But the reason I keep coming back is that Microtech makes an exceptional product. And the value proposition is actually pretty good when you consider what you are getting.

The Exocet is a new release. Maybe not hot off the press, but released sometime in late 2019. The name sounds cool, and apparently it’s French for “Flying Fish” and a French guided anti-ship missile. I kept admiring the knife on BladeHQ. I’ve made plenty of impulse purchases, but when you keep coming back to something weeks later, then you know it’s time to buy it. In that sense the Exocet was a carefully considered acquisition.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Excocet has an overall length of 5.625″, a 1.98″ blade, weighs 2.75 and is made in the USA. This is a California legal dual action out the front automatic pocket knife. Microtech advertises it as a money clip knife, and its has a prominent pocket clip where you can stuff some cards and cash. Here’s a picture of the Exocet in it’s native habitat:

I’ve been using mine as an EDC knife, albeit carefully. Check your local laws before buying this knife or carrying it in public. While it’s a “Cali legal” auto it may not be entirely kosher in your jurisdiction.

The Exocet features a broad, dual edge, dagger ground blade. This is a notoriously blade pattern to grind, as it’s actually 4 grinds, and the goal is to have them perfectly symmetrical and to line up. My knife is ground well, but if I study it I can see that it’s not perfect. Like I mentioned, this is a difficult grind to master, and Microtech is mass producing them. All things considered I think they did a great job on a $250 knife. As usual, they offer this blade in a variety of finishes. I went for the stonewashed with satin flats. I prefer the contrast of an uncoated blade, and the way an uncoated blade holds up to wear.

I think it’s also worth mentioning how exceptionally sharp this blade was out of the box. The edge will pop hair off your arm with the lightest bit of pressure. This is the kind of blade that is so sharp, you won’t even notice you have been cut by it. I’ve handled my share of knives over the years. It’s rare to impress me with out of the box sharpness, but I’m impressed.

Here’s another size comparison with the Endura and Delica:

Blade steel on this model is M390. At the risk of oversimplifying things, M390 is great stuff. A high end stainless made by Bohler Uddeholm, M390 is known for it’s fine grain structure and excellent edge retention while remaining relatively easy to sharpen and highly stain resistant. It’s one of my favorite steels. It’s a great choice on most folders, and was certainly an appropriate selection here.

In practice, the Exocet took care of all of the basic EDC tasks I put it up to. I’ll admit it has mostly been “dry” tasks like opening mail and packages. I didn’t cut an overripe pear or field dress a possum, but I’ve opened plenty of bags and packages.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The handle is constructed of black anodized aluminum. The anodization looks great, but it will show wear with use. One commentor lamented that I didn’t disclose that in my Benchmade 940 review. Anodized aluminum shows signs of wear if it brushes up against hard objects. Keep that in mind if you like your knives to look new.

As usual for Microtech, the handle has been meticulously machined. Also typical is the use of Microtech’s proprietary hardware. Normally I service all my knives, but this is one I have no desire to take apart. If you wanted to do that you would have to purchase a special tool and possibly risk voiding your warranty. That’s a potential downside for sure if you were to religiously carry and use this knife. I know you can spray it out with compressed air or WD-40, but eventually it would need to go back to Microtech.

That said, the handle is immaculate. An interesting detail is the chunky triangular impact tool bolted to the pommel. It looks cool, is potentially useful, secures the pocket clip, and successfully integrates a lanyard hole.

You don’t buy a knife like this for stellar ergonomics. It’s basically like holding a stack of credit cards. Not the most comfortable handle for sure. However, it doesn’t feel terrible for light duty. There is plenty of traction thanks to a gratuitous amount of milling. The hard anodization offers a little grip as well, while your thumb rests naturally on the slider. That said, this design is not going to win any ergonomics awards. I can get 4 fingers onto the handle, but it most naturally works with a 3 finger grip.

The pocket clip is also a little unusual. Like the blade, it’s broad and flat. It’s designed to serve double duty as both a pocket clip and money clip. It doesn’t do either of those things particularly well. It holds cash and cards fine, but compared with a normal money clip it’s bulky. And as far as pocket clips go, well, it’s enormous. It works fine, but it’s not terribly discreet.

In pocket the Exocet carries pretty well. It’s reasonably thin and light, but it is also wide. I haven’t had any issues carrying it, but it isn’t exactly a Dragonfly II in the pocket either.

Here is your in the pocket shot:

Deployment and Lockup

If you already own an Ultratech, or a Troodon, or any other dual action out the front automatic by Microtech, then you will know what you are getting into with the automatic mechanism. The slider is stepped and easy to get to. The slider is also easy to use. It strikes an excellent balance between requiring a conscious amount of force, so it doesn’t open up accidentally, but it doesn’t require so much force that it wears out your thumb. I think they struck the perfect balancen.

The action is snappy and fun. As usual the blade shoots out with a satisfying “clack” and withdraws with a similar amount of panache. This is Microtech’s bread and butter, and their dual action system translates perfectly to the smaller Exocet.

Once deployed the blade has a little wobble as you would expect. Both up and down and side to side. Nothing abnormal or crazy, just what you would expect from a knife like this. Eventually I’d like to acquire a G&G Hawk Deadlock, just to see what that’s all about. In the meantime I’m cool with a little blade play. This Exocet still gets the job done.

Here’s a parting size comparison with my Troodon:

Microtech Exocet Review – Final Thoughts

This is something that will either immediately speak to you, or be a total turn off. For me, I had to have it. In practice the Exocet has been a lot of fun. That is what this knife is all about: fun. The novelty of a Cali Legal OTF that doubles as a money clip. It’s a pleasurable way to part with $250. I actually think there is a good amount of value here. All the parts are made in house in the USA. The fit and finish is beautiful. The action is a lot of fun. Sure it’s a luxury good, but you get something for your money.

That said, I’d be remiss to not point out that compromises abound with a knife like this. You may want to think twice if this is going to be your day in / day out, ride or die knife. It’s more of a secondary blade or a light user. I have a buddy who daily carried an Ultratech. He’s an electrician, so his knife saw some action. It got beat up quickly. I’m not saying a knife like this couldn’t be carried and used zealously every day, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. That said, who am I to suggest what you do. Buy a Microtech and use the piss out of it. Enjoy it in good health. From what I’ve seen they are reliable knives. Just don’t be upset if it picks up some battle scars in short order.

If you are a Microtech fan then I think you will like the Exocet. I like mine and plan on keeping it. As always, be careful if you decide to carry it. Check your local laws before purchasing or carrying this knife.

Microtech Exocet – From $250.00
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Microtech Exocet at BladeHQ. Thank you for reading.

Microtech UTX-85 Review

by Aaron Shapiro Leave a Comment

Buy the UTX-85 at BladeHQ

Knives function differently in a collector’s life than a normal person’s. They serve as a connection between people, a stress reliever, a sense of importance, a focus of learning, and yes, even sometimes a tool. Microtech, I think, is an excellent example of something that can occupy all of these roles. There’s nothing more satisfying than (safely) using an OTF as a fidget tool. There’s nothing more connecting (or dividing) than a room full of Microtech fanboys. The knives offer a depth and breadth of legitimate cutlery history for one to dive into. They are also very capable tools when used properly, we’ll get more into that later.

The Microtech UTX-85 is a smaller version of the long praised Ultratech. I believe the name comes from it being 85% of an Ultratech. As someone that always found the Ultratech to be slightly too large for my uses, I knew I needed to try it out.

Before we get too deep here, let’s go over some specs:

(All Measurements are my personal measurements and may differ from manufacturers specs)

Blade: 3”
OAL: 7.5”
Thickness: .696” with the clip
Blade Thickness: .126”
Steel: M390
Weight: 3.1oz
Lock: Out-the-front Automatic

Blade

The UTX-85 that I opted for has the traditional drop point blade shape. I’ve seen versions with tanto blades, double-edged daggers, serrations, and probably some I’m missing. I like the way the tanto looks, but for daily carry, I have found the drop point to be the most useful. It’s ground to a nice fine tip that should allow for detailed work, whereas the cutting edge is long enough to allow for effective draw cuts.

When it comes to practicality, this will be a lighter duty knife. So I’m more interested in sharpness and edge retention (I wound up putting my own edge on it) than I am robust/thickness of the blade. You won’t be prying, chopping, carving, etc. with this particular knife. It’s just not meant for that.

We’ve covered M390 in the past, but for those just joining us. I love this stuff. It’s not that dissimilar from 20CV or CTS-204P. After running mine through my Wicked Edge, I can attest that, while the initial bevel was tough to set, it took an excellent edge and has maintained it for a long time. It’s also famous for its stain and rust resistance. This is a superior all-around steel.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

Microtech both nails and flubs on ergonomics, in my opinion. On the one hand, everything feels extremely functional but, the texturing and surface finish of the handle itself could be done better. I find the ridges milled into the top and bottom of the handle in place of gimping to be overly sharp. They do a good job of locking the knife in your hand but can be uncomfortable after extended use.

The anodized aluminum handles look great when the knife first arrives, however any bump or ding in the surface will leave behind a starkly contrasting scuff or scratch. This may or may not bother you, depending on your mindset regarding pocketknives. But I think it’s safe to assume that folks spending ~$250 on a tool like this enjoy it looking nice as much as they do it being capable.

In the same vein, Microtech uses a large bent steel clip on their OTFs. These function great (in my experience) and really remind me of the Chris Reeve clip with their dual detent style retention. The unfortunate thing about these clips, however, are that they are MASSIVE. The clip measures 0.4” wide and just over 2.5” long. The flare on the end also sticks up a decent amount as well and looks like it just wants to scratch your car.

Deployment and Lock

Microtech OTF’s are peculiar. Really, all OTF’s are unusual if you’re coming from a strictly “locking-knife,” background. They don’t have something that you disengage to close it. Instead, you “activate” the closing mechanism. From what I understand, the springs in Microtech OTF’s are not under tension apart from when you retract or extend the blade. The rest of the time, the spring is in a resting state. So, you’re essentially cocking and firing the blade in both directions during regular use. That’s cool. It’s hugely satisfying to play with, although it will drive your partner, roommate, pet, or anyone else in your immediate orbit insane after a short time.

Microtech has also come a long way with how this mechanism feels. I’ve owned several knives that used this OTF assembly, and the earlier ones were EXTREMELY difficult to actuate. The amount of force it took to withdraw and extend the blade would quickly make your wrist and hand sore. This is no longer the case; however, the UTX-85 has a much easier mechanism to operate.

It’s also worth pointing if you’re not familiar with Microtech’s double-action autos that these knives will disconnect if they encounter resistance while deploying. Then you have to pull the blade all the way to get it back on track again. These won’t deploy, “into,” something like a single action could (potentially).

Microtech UTX-85 Review – Final Thoughts

In the end, I think that the UTX-85 is an excellent choice for someone wanting to get into Microtech autos. They’re reasonably affordable, by comparison, and they’re made very well. I also personally prefer the size over the classic Ultratech. The Ultratech clocks in with a 3.4” blade vs. the 85’s 3”. It’s just a little more pocket-friendly for me and slightly less scary to civilians.

I think one competitive option that would be worth checking out with be one of the new OTF’s from Benchmade, the Phaeton. These are 3.45” OTF’s that also feature aluminum handles, S30V blades, and a reversible pocket clip. I’ve had the opportunity to handle both, and I think the action on the Benchmade’s is a little superior. The price, however, is also higher at around $323 on BladeHQ.

In the world of production automatics Microtech really has made a name for themselves. I’ve had the opportunity to own several of their models, and I can say that the UTX-85 feels the most EDC-practical to me. The blade size is right for daily tasks, but it also doesn’t make me feel like an assassin every time I pull it out to use. That may be what you’re going for, but I’m more a practical over tactical type gear-nerd. One of the beautiful things about how Microtech produces their knives is that they offer a ton of variety. Their models are generally available in a spectrum of blade shapes as well as blade steels.

The Microtech UTX-85 can be found from our favorite online knife retailer BladeHQ. At the time of this writing, they’re sitting around $250 give or take configuration. For more information check out microtechknives.com or bladehq.com

Microtech UTX-85 – From $247.00
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Microtech UTX-85 at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.

Reate T4000 Review

by John Burridge 3 Comments

Whenever there’s the thinnest excuse to use a pocket knife, I do so. Over the last month of carrying the Reate T4000 nearly every day, I’ve noticed that when I open it up in public to do any of the small innocuous things I use a knife for, I’ve seen people’s eyes light up with…not terror, but a distinct “What the hell is that?” look mixed with a tingle of atavistic fear.

Buy the Reate T4000 at BladeHQ or GPKnives

It looks like a large double edged dagger- which, to the subconscious mind of most people, looks like what the ruling classes have been using to kill people with for the last four thousand years, and/or what everybody gets stabbed with in Game Of Thrones. I have two friends who are into knives on almost the same nerdy level that I am, and even their first responses were “Whoa!”

The instant I saw the T4000, I knew I wanted it simply for the fear/thrill reaction it gave me. But when writing a knife review, I always try to determine the knife’s intended purpose. In this case, it’s easy: when Reate Knives began teasing the T4000 in July 2018, BladeReviews.com’s own Ben Schwartz wrote an article about it for KnifeNews.com. Here’s what the designer of the knife, Tashi Bharucha, had to say about it:

[It] does not pretend to be anything other than a stabbing pocket sword.

It’s intended purpose is to be a stabbing pocket sword? Sign me the fuck up!

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Reate Knives T4000 is part of a four-knife series, all designed by French knife auteur Tashi Bharucha. At the time of writing, only the smallest of the four, the T2500 and the T4000 have been released. The naming convention reflects the length of the blades in inches- the T2500 is 2.5” long, the T4000 is 4”, etc. The T3000 and T3500 have yet to be released.

I find it curious that a French designer and a Chinese knife manufacturer are using the antiquated Imperial measurement system for the names of these knives- I’m going to assume their target market is ‘Merica. I don’t know if the pricing scheme is also related to the blade length, but the T4000 cost me $400 USD. I suppose that’s a bargain compared to Tashi Bharucha’s custom, handmade knives, which cost at least $1,000. Even though I’m a big fan of his work, I’m not going to spend over a thousand bucks on something I can’t drive, ride, or shoot.

It comes with a bunch of nice, unnecessary stuff like a Reate Knives Zipper pouch, a cleaning cloth, a microfiber knife bag, a velcro embroidered “Reate” patch, and extra handle screws, which are actually a really nice touch.

There are three handle choices: Titanium with inlaid carbon fiber, inlaid brown canvas Micarta, or inlaid green canvas Micarta, which is what I bought. It’s an unusually large and heavy folder, even bigger in every respect than my collection’s previous champion of unnecessary size and weight, the Microtech Sigil MK6.

The T4000 weighs 5.3 oz (150 g), is 8.86” (225 mm) long when open, 4.92” long (125 mm) closed, and 1.75” (44 mm) tall when open or closed. Some knives disappear into your pocket- this definitely doesn’t. It’s not particularly thick though, at .68” (17.2 mm) at it’s widest point, pocket clip included.

The blade steel is Bohler M390, which is considered a “super steel” due to it’s extreme hardness and corrosion resistance. I’ve been reading up on blade steel, and want to give a shout out to knifesteelnerds.com for a lot of in-depth articles that a non-scientist like myself can understand. What I’ve learned about M390 is that it’s high hardness resists edge deformation, which keeps it sharp. The trade-off for high hardness is a reduction in toughness, which is basically resistance to chipping. A lot of these hardness/toughness qualities seem to be imparted into the blade during the manufacturing process known as heat treating. My limited understanding of heat treating boils down to this: you heat up the unfinished steel blade to get the individual molecules to bond together in a very specific way, then remove the blade from the heat to lock in the molecular structure.

Most knife manufacturers guard their heat treating methods as proprietary secrets, but Reate Knives has made this little nugget known: after the heat treating is complete, they use a technique called “freeze edging skill.” This process cools the blade while the cutting edge is being ground, so that the friction-induced heat of grinding doesn’t undo the specific molecular structure from it’s heat treating. It may just be marketing hype, but it makes sense to me.

I was recently talking to a guy who is several orders of magnitude higher than me on the Blade Steel Nerdiness spectrum, and he gave me an earful about how modern super steels like M390 are too brittle, and he prefers softer, “tougher” steel like VG10 or 154CM which are easier to sharpen. I totally get it because he’s way into sharpness- he sharpens his daily carry Sebenza with a leather strop every day whether he’s used it or not. Personally, I have a bunch of nice pocket knives that I carry and use, and I wait until they’re good and dull before I sharpen them. I would rather have a knife with a crazy hard edge that I can use longer between sharpenings. In a month of light duty cutting, I’ve barely dulled the edge of my T4000, so Reate’s M390 is working great for me.

The blade is surprisingly slim for such a big knife. It has a thin hollow grind with a decorative fuller, which briefly flares the blade’s maximum width to 3.8 mm in the center. I looked up a ton of information about blade fullers for this review, but it’s far too boring to include here.

Suffice it to say that fullers are basically for structural reinforcement on long blades and are not “blood grooves.” The T4000’s standout feature is it’s aggressive symmetrical dagger shape, but the top of the blade, which is exposed when the knife is closed, has a 1.1 mm thick unsharpened edge.

This knife has excelled at my usual mundane tasks of box and bag opening and loose thread cutting, but I like trying new things, and I’ve never used a dagger for food prep before. I stabbed and slashed and hacked my way through tomatoes, onions, artichokes, sausages, etc. My experience using the T4000 in the kitchen was pretty much like with every other pocket knife I’ve used in this capacity- I couldn’t dice anything like with a chef’s knife because my knuckles would hit the cutting board before the blade would. It’s thin blade slices well, and the fuller seemed to keep food from sticking to the side of the blade. The false edge on the top of the blade is wide enough to push down on for some extra leverage.

Other uses for the T4000’s false edge are:

Opening mail- the false edge opens envelopes perfectly without dulling the sharpened side.
Removing staples- slip the tip of the blade under the staple and twist towards the unsharpened side.
Pretending to slash my wrist- I’ve absolutely horrified several people.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

On the T4000, designer Tashi Bharucha used a variation of his signature handle shape. From an aesthetic standpoint I love it, but I find it’s ergonomics often make the knife difficult to use. The problem, in my opinion, is how far back my hand is from the blade’s tip. There’s no place on the handle to choke up and gain the mechanical advantage of having my hand closer to the tip of the blade.

That being said, I don’t really care, because I don’t buy his knives for the ergonomics. I would never classify myself as a “fanboy” because first of all I’m not a boy, I’m a goddamn man, but Tashi’s design style really speaks to me, and I now own five of his production knives.

The handle ergonomics on three of the others are similar to the T4000, with the exception being the Massdrop-produced Prism (far left in photo), which cleverly exchanges some sharpened blade length for the ability to choke up on the handle. The Tashi B./Reate Knives Baby Machine (not pictured) knife has a similar ergonomically friendly shape.

The T4000’s handle is made of two pieces of titanium and one piece of green canvas Micarta. This is my first knife utilizing Micarta, and I was dismayed that after a month of sweat and cooking oil and dirty hands, the Micarta’s color has permanently changed from light green to a darker olive drab. It’s somewhat grippy texture is unchanged. The mating of the Micarta into the handle is so precise I can see where the inlaid Micarta meets the titanium, but I can’t feel the seam.

Reate’s fit and finish on this knife are superb. Every angle machined into the handle looks sharp but feels smooth. The T4000’s shape is just so weirdly aggressive that I can’t stop looking at it- it’s the knife equivalent of an Italian sports car. Specifically, the Lamborghini Urus: a 641 horsepower all wheel drive SUV that, to my eye, shares many design cues with the T4000. Please forgive my crude Photoshop skills:

Both the car and the knife are fascinating combinations of severe lines and curves, and both come off as being large, lumpy and aggressive. I periodically see one of these big stealth tank-looking SUV’s rolling by, and my response is always “Whoa!” By the way, for an excellent review of the Lamborghini Urus, I suggest checking out the Amazon Prime TV show “The Grand Tour” season 3, episode 5 “An Itchy Urus.” Anyway, back to the knife…

The forward tip of the pocket clip is very sharp. Not cut yourself sharp, but certainly scratch the paint off your car door sharp.

Nonetheless, the clip looks great, and I think it’s pointy design is entirely appropriate for a stabbing pocket sword. The T4000’s titanium clip is milled into Bharucha’s signature stylish shape, and the clip’s shape and position mirror the titanium inlay inside the Micarta inlay on the show side. The amount of flex is great, it’s amount of offset from the body of the knife is great for thick denim jeans pockets, and it’s shape melts into the fold of my hand when I’m using it.

When carrying the T4000 while wearing reasonably tight pants (as I often do), the knife, though heavy, stays put due to it’s robust clip. But when wearing loose shorts, I feel that big hunk of titanium and steel rhythmically slapping my thigh as I walk.

Deployment and Lockup

The blade is heavy and the flipper detent is strong, so it takes a bit of finger muscle to open it. It swings smoothly on ceramic bearings, and has a nice strong magnet-like feel that snaps the blade closed when it’s open less than 6 mm. It’s a framelock, and locks up securely with about half of it’s 3 mm steel lock face in contact with the blade. It’s not a hard use knife like my DPX HEST F1, which has a 75% lockup on it’s 4 mm wide lockbar, but the T4000’s lock doesn’t seem to be likely to fail under reasonable use.

There is one weird thing about it though- it’s sound. When flipping it open, instead of the normal, satisfying “click” that I’ve come to expect from titanium knives, there’s a two-part sound like a metal soap bubble popping, followed by an unusually high-pitched snap. One of the nice things about having a lot pocket knives is that I have them on hand to compare and contrast with each other. At the moment, I have 16 reasonably good folding knives, and I sat down in a quiet room and flicked or thumbed open every single one. Through this highly scientific investigation I have determined that the sound the Reate T4000 makes when opening is utterly unique. The sound has nothing to do with it’s functionality at all, but it’s odd enough that I feel compelled to mention it.

Two last things: first, the T4000 has a party trick- it can stand on it’s head. Second, I was driving on US Interstate 5 on the East side of Los Angeles and noticed a 125 foot (38 meter) tall Tashi Bharucha pocket clip rising above the LA River. It’s the central spire of the North Atwater Bridge which is due to be completed in 2020. Say what you will about the evils of social media, but thanks to Facebook I was able to send the picture below to T4000 designer Tashi Bharucha. He responded that he hadn’t seen it before and, no, he did not design the bridge.

Reate T4000 Review – Final Thoughts

The T4000 is definitely a niche item. It’s not for everyone, it’s not perfect, and it’s relatively expensive at $400. But I dig the Reate T4000 stabbing pocket sword on a deep, visceral level – I don’t know if it’s an ancient, hardwired feeling of security or a Roman-Legionnaire-in-a-past-life kind of thing, but I sure do like it.

Reate T2500 – From $419.95
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Reate T4000 at BladeHQ or GPKnives. Please consider that buying anything through any of the links on this website (including Amazon) helps support BladeReviews.com, and keeps the site going. Thank you very much.

Microtech Troodon Review

by Dan Jackson Leave a Comment

I’ve got a couple Microtech knife reviews under my belt at this point, and as far as their automatics go I’ve reviewed the Halo VI and the Stitch. Something that is obviously missing from the picture is one of their dual action Out The Front (OTF) knives. The OTF autos are are the knives Microtech is best known for making. And of course for some reason I waited to pick one up.

Buy the Microtech Troodon at BladeHQ

Oddly enough, it was when a buddy of mine in the real world told me he was picking up a couple Ultratechs to daily carry, it prompted me to think about a dual action OTF of my own.

I went for the Troodon because I thought it looked cool with its angled front. I went with a double edge spearpoint blade for added coolness, but as usual for Microtech you can configure this knife in a myriad of ways. Plus, the knife is named after a dinosaur. I’ll get an Ultratech soon.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Troodon has an overall length of 7.65″, a 3.00″ blade, weighs 3.00 ounces, and is made in the USA. This is a nice size knife for EDC, provided you are in a jurisdiction that allows you to carry an OTF knife. They do make these with a single edge, so it’s possible this could be a daily carry for some. Personally, this has been more of a collectible than a true daily carry for me.

Here is a picture next to a Spyderco Sage 5:

As you can see it’s a nice size for EDC. Provided you are in a jurisdiction that permits you to EDC it.

For those wanting something significantly bigger, Microtech offers the Combat Troodon with an overall length of 9.5″ and a 3.8″ blade. Weight comes in at 5.35 ounces.

As I’ve mentioned a couple times, this knife has a dual edged spear point blade. You can also get the knife in a drop point, tanto, or hellhound tanto. Additional options include partial serrations, full serrations, coated, or uncoated in a variety of finishes.

My knife features a satin finish. It has been beautifully ground. All grinds are crisp and uniform. The edges are also nice and even, not an easy job for a double edged knife. There is a deep fuller down the blade that has been further pocketed. It looks cool.

Blade steel is the tried and true M390. I have waxed semi-poetic about this steel for a long time. It’s one of my favorite high end steels, blending the qualities of good edge retention and easy sharpening. It also polishes nicely and exhibits good rust resistance.

I can’t say I’ve used this knife a whole lot. Besides it probably being illegal to carry outside my home, the double edged blade is kind of dangerous for my usual box cutting, apple coring shtick. I’ve used it lightly and treated it as more of a collectible. While I know some people will daily carry their Troodons, a lot will keep them as collectibles.

I will say the Troodon came extremely sharp out of the box. It cleanly cuts thin receipt paper. It will open a letter or a package without a problem. And I have to confess these dual action OTFs are actually very handy because you can use them easily with one hand. My Troodon was epic in the kitchen for opening up bags of produce. It also sliced some roma tomatoes easily, although I was careful to clean the blade after prior to retracting it back into the handle of the knife.

On the subject of sharpening, it’s interesting to review Microtech’s FAQs. They say improper sharpening voids their warranty. I’d be curious to learn what that entails. I’m sure gentle stropping or running the edge on a ceramic rod like a Sharpmaker will not void the warranty.

Handle, Ergonomics, and Pocket Clip

The Troodon features a hard anodized aluminum handle, fastened together with Microtech’s proprietary hardware. Usually, this is the part of the review where I’d take a moment to whine about the proprietary hardware, but this is a knife I have no desire to open up.

Fit and finish is excellent. All the parts line up perfectly, and everything has been finished to a high standard. The hard anodizing is good, but it’s not impervious to wear. My anodizing has worn slightly underneath the pocket clip, and my electrician friend’s Ultratech shows some significant battle scars after a couple months of heavy duty daily carry.

Capping things off is an aggressive glass breaker / “skull crusher” on the pommel.

The Troodon is comfortable in hand. There is a lot of traction on this handle thanks to deep scallops all over the handle. That, combined with the box handle shape, means that this is not a knife that will melt into your hand. But you can definitely get a good grip on it, which is essential for using the dual action button. More on that later.

While the knife will never be as comfortable as an Emerson, the handle design serves its purpose and looks good doing it.

The pocket clip is a deep carry “double dip” clip, a la Chris Reeve Knives. I’ve always liked double dip clips as they help anchor the knife in your pocket. That, combined with the good spring retention and aggressive texture under the clip, means that this knife isn’t going anywhere. Comforting when you shell out almost $400 for a pocket knife.

The clip is another precision machined part marrying form and function. It looks cool without being over-the-top, and is both serialized and production date stamped. It’s anchored in place with that impressively machined glass breaker pommel. The clip can be swapped for right or left side tip up carry, but you will need either a special tool or some patience to un-thread the pommel without marring its finish.

In practice the Troodon carries great. The pocket clip is secure and the knife is light. I’ve carried this knife around the house and quickly forgot the Troodon was in my pocket. I literally forgot I was carrying the knife, to the point where I ended up taking it on an hour long bike ride. Generally I don’t select $400 knives for bike rides, but the Troodon performed admirably, thanks in large part to that double dip clip.

Deployment and Lockup

This section is why you buy a Troodon. It’s a dual action out the front automatic knife. That means the blade both opens and closes with the push of a button. It’s an “Out The Front” automatic because the blade shoots and retracts out the front of the knife. None of this should come as a surprise, but it’s worth mentioning to be thorough.

So how does it work? The button is stiff, and takes a good amount of pressure to actuate. That’s a good thing, as you don’t want the knife to accidentally open up in your pocket. Thanks to the significant force required to actuate the blade, I think it’s almost impossible that the blade would open up accidentally.

When you do apply enough force to trigger the blade it shoots out with a satisfying snap. It feels punchy, but its actually not enough force to be considered a “penetrateor”. This means it’s not designed to be shot into it’s target like a light saber. If you hold an index card an inch or two in front of the knife, it will not punch through the card, and it will instead derail the blade. You can then reset the blade by pulling it out manually. I consider this to be a feature, not a bug. As it stands a knife like this requires a certain level of respect. It’s not a toy and you need to be careful with it.

Here it is next to my Halo VI:

When the knife is open there is a little blade wiggle. Not a lot, maybe half millimeter. That’s the nature of most dual action knives, although, the Deadlock is a notable exception. The blade wiggle is to be expected with these production dual action OTFs. The knives will hold up fine under normal use, but you definitely don’t want to do any prying or chopping with a knife like this.

The blade retracts by pulling back on the button. It shoots into the handle with the same speed and sound. The entire process is novel and satisfying.

Microtech Troodon Review – Final Thoughts

Each Microtech I’ve bought has encouraged me to buy another. They are unique and memorable knives. They aren’t cheap, but they are beautifully made in the USA. The visual flair, attention to detail, and robust nature of their offerings elevates their offerings beyond gimmick.

The Troodon is no exception. These dual action OTF knives are Microtech’s bread and butter, and it’s easy to see why. The action is smooth, satisfying, and undeniably cool. While this knife isn’t a daily carry for me, plenty of folks like to carry these D/A OTFs. Part of the appeal is that you can easily open and close the knife with one hand. In that sense, this is actually a practical tool. But it’s Microtech’s ability to blend form and function that keep me coming back.

Recommended to those who are interested in the design, or a high end dual action OTF automatic. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Microtech Troodon- From $374.00
From: BladeHQ

I recommend purchasing the Microtech Troodon at BladeHQ or Amazon. Thank you for reading.